7 Ways to Get Better Sleep

This year, I’ve made it a goal to get better sleep. I have always struggled with getting consistent good sleep at night. Especially when I was in college, there would be nights when I wouldn’t go to sleep at all and would pay for it the next day. But what college student didn’t do that, right? Recently, I have realized how important it is to get an adequate amount of sleep.

Now, I don’t have a problem with getting sleep but instead with the quality of sleep I get. If you ask any of my friends, they will tell you how easy it is for me to fall asleep at any time anywhere. Which, isn’t good and I needed to do something about it. I have incorporated some things that have made a big difference in how much energy I have during the day and the type of sleep I get.

1. Have a night time routine

It is so important to prepare yourself for bed and for the next day. Having a bedtime routine allows you to close the chapter for that day, especially if you had a bad day. My bedtime routine consists of taking a warm shower, moisturizing my face, preparing my breakfast and lunch for the next day and then deciding what I will wear. This has allowed me to not be frantic the next day and I can take my time getting to work without feeling pressured to make sure I am beating the clock.

2. Drink something warm

This is one of my favorite things to do before bed. It has never failed me, every time I drink something warm like hot chocolate or tea it puts me right to sleep. I am also able to stay sleep longer. Whether you like a hot chocolate or a certain type of tea, sip on something warm and see how soothing it is!

3. Don’t eat big meals before bed

I’m sure we have all been told not to eat right before you go to bed. It is so true! You shouldn’t eat big meals before bed. I stopped eating big meals before bed when I constantly felt hungry during the night and in the morning. If I get hungry at night, I may snack on a banana or crackers, but I make sure I don’t eat after 8:00 p.m.

4. Exercise

I absolutely love how good I sleep after spending time in the gym for the day. One thing I learned is that I prefer going to the gym in the early morning or during the day because it gives me a burst of energy for the day. When I have gone to the gym later at night, I noticed it was harder for me to go to sleep when I got home. If you can only go to the gym at night, then make sure you get that work out in. Just know that you may not be able to get to sleep right away

5. Take an hour to power down

Before jumping right into bed you should spend at least 30 minutes to an hour to “power down”. You will be preparing your mind and body for sleep mode. Also clearing your mind and not stressing over your thoughts.

6. Stick to a sleep schedule

Ahh!! Now how many Sisterfriends can say they go to bed and get up at the same time every day? I know I definitely don’t. I will try to go to sleep at the same time as many days out of the week that I can but sometimes it doesn’t always happen that way. When I am able to, I find my body getting sleepy around the same time and I am able to wake up in the morning without hitting the snooze button.

7. Only sleep when in bed

I am so guilty of using my bed for more than just sleeping. A lot of times, I will do work, read and watch T.V. in my bed. I know a lot of people have to fall asleep with their T.V. being on. I can’t do that because it will wake me up during the night and then it makes it hard for me to go back to sleep. You want to make sure that when you are in bed, you are only going to sleep.

3 comments

I used to do work on my laptop and watch movies etc while I was just laying in my bed but now I only use it for sleeping and it does really help me to get a deeper sleep, or at least that’s what I think. For me though I eat after 8pm all the time, but I stay up till around 1am so it balances out!